The destructive effects of mites and insects upon crops needs no elucidation. Although many compounds have been developed for the control of these pests, it would nevertheless be desirable to possess additional compounds which would effectively control such pests.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,397,864 to K. Nakatani et al discloses 2-arylpropyl ether and thioether derivatives, having utility for insecticidal and acaricidal applications, which compounds are of the formula: ##STR1## wherein Ar is aryl, R is methyl or ethyl, Y is oxygen or sulfur and B is: ##STR2## wherein Z is oxygen, sulfur, carbonyl or methylene; R' is hydrogen, halogen, lower alkyl; or lower alkoxy; and n is an integer of 1-5; R' being the same or different when n is 2 or more.
European Patent Application No. 94,085 to S. Nishidi et al discloses ether compounds useful as active ingredients in insecticidal and/or acaricidal compositions, which compounds are of the formula: ##STR3## wherein: W is methine or nitrogen; R.sub.1 is hydrogen, halogen or methyl; R.sub.2 is hydrogen or fluorine; R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are the same or different and may be hydrogen, halogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkoxy, difluoromethoxy, 2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy or, taken together, are 3,4-methylenedioxy; A is oxygen, methyl or imino; and X and Y are hydrogen or methyl or, taken together, are ethylene or 1,1-difluoroethylene.
U.K. Patent Application GB No. 2120664A, K. Nakatani et al, discloses insecticidal and acaricidal compounds having the formula: ##STR4## wherein: Ar is substituted or unsubstituted phenyl or naphthyl; R.sup.1 is methyl, ethyl or isopropyl; R.sup.2 is hydrogen or methyl, or R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 together with the carbon to which they are attached jointly represent a substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl; and R.sup.3 is a fundamental group of an alcohol usually used in the form R.sup.3 OH as to natural or synthetic pyrethroids. Such compounds are prepared by reacting a ketone with an aldehyde compound to produce an alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compound which then is reduced to provide the above-described aromatic alkane derivative.
"A New Type of Synthetic Pyrethroid Insecticide", by T. Udagawa et al, Recent Advances In The Chemistry Of Insect Control, pages 192-204, N. F. Janes, Ed., Royal Society of Chemistry (1980) shows pyrethroid-like insecticides of the formula: ##STR5## wherein: A is alkyl ether, alkenylene or alkylene; X.sub.2 is hydrogen or fluorine; and X.sub.1 is hydrogen, chlorine, methyl, methoxy, ethoxy or difluoromethoxy. Specifically disclosed are 2-(4-ethoxyphenyl)-2-methylpropyl 3-phenoxybenzyl ether, and 1-(3-phenoxy-4-fluorophenyl)-4-(4-ethoxyphenyl)-4-methylpentane. The insecticidal efficacy of various X.sub.1 and X.sub.2 -substituted methylpentane compounds is also shown.